I will be away from the lab for a week, attending the annual of Biotechnology Society of Nigeria, conference. The conference this year holds at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan and I’m super excited to attend. I’m also really excited because I’ll presenting my work, on a poster. This post will share basic information on poster presentations: what you need to know, as well as some reference materials that I’ve found helpful.

I was at a gathering and someone suggested that a lady could rinse a cup with some alcohol because it can “kill germs” and somehow, I became annoyed. So I used that opportunity to school him a little on microorganisms 😉. I’m here to teach you too 😅 I remember when I learnt that 100% alcohol cannot kill microorganisms, but 70% can. This didn’t make sense to me. I’m like, how is that possible? 😅 In the laboratory, we use 70% alcohol (especially ethanol) to sterilize work benches, our hands, laboratory bottles, and some equipments. A lot of hand sanitizers also contain some alcohol. Scientists have established that 50-80% alcohol…

A major reason why I started this blog, is to highlight women doing science that I admire. So welcome to the new category that I have named “STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine) Role Models”. On my first episode of science role models, I spoke with Ms Tochukwu Ozulumba (TO), a final year PhD candidate at the University of Brighton. She shares her self-care tips, her thoughts on science communication in Nigeria and some advice for young scientists. She explains the impact of volunteering on her career, relevant skills young scientists should acquire and tips for earning a scholarship. Can you tell us a little about you? Three things…

My Favourite Science Podcasts What are you listening to? I am sure you know that there is so much you can gain from listening. Well, I have been listening to a lot of podcasts recently. A podcast is essentially a digital radio, although some podcasts can be in video forms. Learn more about podcasts here. You can listen to almost anything on a podcast, from comedy to messages, to tips on running a business, motivational talks and lots more. Listening to podcasts, are easy if you have access to the internet. Just find a podcast platform or app that suits you, find the podcast you will love to listen to…

Hello 😊 Thank you for stopping by today. So I mentioned on Instagram that my research proposal had been accepted and I will be contributing to science in my own little way (If you don’t follow me on Instagram already, you’re missing out). As a graduate research assistant, I never anticipated inciting a study, I am really grateful for this and excited about what I’ll be working on so I will share a brief summary in this post. Let me know what you think of this work and make suggestions in the comment section. I will be putting up good and bad bacteria against each other. Just as there are…

In my “Get to Know Me” post, Aniekan, Arinze and Daara asked similar questions and I actually get asked this question a lot. If you ever wondered why I studied biotechnology 🧬 and what I hope to do with it? This post answers your questions. 🤗 What is this Biotechnology? The use of living organisms or biological techniques to produce or modify an organism or a process is my simplest way of defining biotechnology. Sometimes I go further to include that it involves the genetic modification of organisms, in-vitro (outside the organism) and perhaps in-vivo (within the living organism). The first idea I got of biotechnology was in my junior…

Hey guys! Thank you for stopping by. Today, you will learn a few things about your DNA. You must have heard a lot about the DNA as the acronym is used commonly. You might also know that your DNA is different from others; yes your DNA is what makes you UNIQUE. It is different from your biological brothers DNA even though you come from the same source. Your DNA affects how you look, behave as well as your physiology. You are the only one of your kind Contrary to Kendrick Lamar’s belief “I’ve got loyalty and royalty inside my DNA” I’m sorry but you do not. There is so much…

Hi everyone, I’m sure by now you know what I do but there are some other things you may like to know. I think random question tags help you know a person more, so I’m doing a get to know me post (yayy). If you ask me to tell you about myself briefly, I might not know what to say but I can tell you that I am funny (yes very very funny) and you cannot tell me otherwise😑 . I selected some random questions from the internet and tweaked some of them. My colleague Emem, also suggested some questions (shout out to her) although she didn’t know the purpose.…

Hello readers, So I am really excited about today, I decided to put my thoughts down on Women in Science and I hope you take something from it. Please let me know your thoughts and contributions to this topic in the comment section. The eleventh day of February was declared as the international day for women and girls in science by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2015. The UN resolution decided to celebrate this day to encourage the participation of women and girls in fields related to science and technology and to achieve gender equality and education for all. The theme for 2019 is Investment in Women and…

Research is creating new knowledge Neil Armstrong Hello Readers, In my last post, I mentioned that I work as a research assistant and in this post I’m going to be explaining what the role entails. Research Assistants offer support to professionals who are conducting experiments, or gathering and analysing data in order to create new knowledge and educate people. I work in an institute of medical research, consequently I can refer to myself as a medical research assistant. The goal of medical research is to improve our health https://swhr.org/what-is-medical-research/ My work is primarily done in a wet laboratory which is basically a lab where chemicals, drugs or other biological matter…